Abaddon's Gate

But she’d grow up in a world without limits. Where a short trip took you to one of the stars, and the bounty of worlds circling them. Where what job you did or what education you pursued or how many children you had was your choice, not a government mandate.

It was dizzying to think of.

Someone walked into the lounge behind her, their footsteps clicking. “Tilly, I just sent—” A

“Doctor Volovodov,” he said, his tone a mild apology.

“Doctor Cortez,” she replied. The renewed formality between them seemed silly to A

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said, sitting and staring out at the stars. Not looking at her. He didn’t look her in the eye anymore.

“Not at all. Just recording a message home and enjoying the view.”

They sat silently for a few moments, watching the stars.

“Esteban lost,” Cortez said, as if they’d been talking about that all along.

“I don’t— Oh, the secretary-general. He did?”

“Nancy Gao is the new SG. You can see Chrisjen Avasarala’s fingerprints all over that one.”

“Who?”

Cortez laughed. It sounded genuine, a nice loud rumble coming up from his belly. “Oh, she would love to hear you say that.”

“Who is she?”

“She’s the politician no one has ever voted for, that runs the UN like her own personal fiefdom and keeps her name out of the press. The fact that she controls your home government and you’ve never heard of her means she’s very, very good.”

“Oh,” A

There was another long silence. A

“You backed the right horse,” Cortez finally said. “I picked a bad one. I hope you won’t hold that against me. I’ve grown to respect you a great deal, in spite of our differences. I wouldn’t like it if you hated me.”

“I don’t, Hector,” A

Cortez gave her a grateful smile and patted her hand. A

“So many stars,” she said. “Some of them might be ours someday.”

“I wonder,” Hector replied, his voice low and sad. “I wonder if we should have them. God gave man the Earth. He never promised him the stars. I wonder if He’ll follow us out there.”

A

Cortez gave a noncommittal grunt.

“I want her to have them,” she said, pointing at the spray of light around her. “My little Nami, I want her to have all of that someday.”

“Whatever she finds out there,” Cortez said, “just remember it’s the future youchose for her.”

His words were full of hope and threat.

Like the stars.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Prologue: Manéo

Chapter One: Holden

Chapter Two: Bull

Chapter Three: Melba

Chapter Four: A

Chapter Five: Bull

Chapter Six: Holden

Chapter Seven: Melba

Chapter Eight: A

Chapter Nine: Bull

Chapter Ten: Holden

Chapter Eleven: Melba

Chapter Twelve: A

Chapter Thirteen: Bull

Chapter Fourteen: Melba

Chapter Fifteen: Bull

Chapter Sixteen: Holden

Chapter Seventeen: Bull

Chapter Eighteen: A

Chapter Nineteen: Melba

Chapter Twenty: Holden

Chapter Twenty-One: Bull

Chapter Twenty-Two: Holden

Chapter Twenty-Three: Melba

Chapter Twenty-Four: A

Chapter Twenty-Five: Holden

Chapter Twenty-Six: Bull

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Melba

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Bull

Chapter Thirty: Holden

Chapter Thirty-One: Melba

Chapter Thirty-Two: A

Chapter Thirty-Three: Bull

Chapter Thirty-Four: Clarissa

Chapter Thirty-Five: A

Chapter Thirty-Six: Holden

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Clarissa

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Bull

Chapter Thirty-Nine: A

Chapter Forty: Holden

Chapter Forty-One: Bull

Chapter Forty-Two: Clarissa

Chapter Forty-Three: Holden

Chapter Forty-Four: A

Chapter Forty-Five: Bull

Chapter Forty-Six: Clarissa

Chapter Forty-Seven: Holden

Chapter Forty-Eight: Bull

Chapter Forty-Nine: A

Chapter Fifty: Holden

Chapter Fifty-One: Clarissa

Chapter Fifty-Two: Holden

Chapter Fifty-Three: Clarissa

Epilogue: A

Acknowledgments

About the author By James S. A. Corey

Acknowledgments

Once again, we have more people to thank than space to thank them in. This book and this series wouldn’t exist without the hard work of our agent Da

About the author

James S. A. Coreyis the pen name of fantasy author Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, George R. R. Martin’s assistant. They both live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.